The wedding doesn’t start until a bit later, so I’m going to try to make it down to hang out a bit before the ride begins. If you see a guy milling about dressed for a wedding, that’s me. Come up and say hello. Wish I could ride with you. Looking forward to meeting some of you readers whom I only know through comments and emails.

See you guys tonight around 6!

If you’ve ever thought that there wasn’t enough automobile parking at a popular event, you should try parking a bicycle! Bike racks are rare and access to them is often blocked by vendors, crowds, security, or cars that have tried to squeeze into any available parking space.

Thankfully, Indianapolis has Pedal & Park, a wonderful organization that works with local cycling advocacy groups to provide free, secure, supervised bicycle parking at many local events. The organization is entirely volunteer-run and partners with CIBA, Bicycle Indiana, Indy Parks and Recreation, and the Greenways Foundation to serve the local cycling community. The Metropolitan Planning Organization subsidizes Pedal and Park with monetary contributions for each bicycle parked. Pedal & Park was organized 10 years ago and has parked over 12,000 bicycles at Indianapolis area events in that time.

Full story here.

There’s actually a good bit of activity going on over at Sustain Indy’s site. It’s great to see some updates on their site, especially in the BikeWays sections. I was starting to feel like there was some foot-dragging going on, but it looks like things are getting moving.

Ben and I both think that there should be a link on the site that would allow individuals and organizations to donate directly to the BikeWays fund. I’ve been meaning to call them to see if something like this is in the works, but I’ve not been able to get around to it due to a hectic life. I’ll try to get that done soon and let everyone know what I hear.

Basically, they got tired of Ben and myself dragging our feet on getting some merch available for you guys, so they took matters into their own hands, ran some designs by us for our approval, and pressed out some buttons. Thanks so much, Alan and Anna. If you guys see them out and about, give them high fives for being such great people and being so stoked on promoting cycling here in Indy.

I think this is a great stride for the city, but who really wants to wait 10 years for this plan to develop? The public needs an easy and convenient way to donate towards the Bikeways project. With the right initiative I believe the cycling and bicycle friendly citizens of Indianapolis can cut into this 10-year plan, why not do it in 5 years?

The 10 year, 107 mile, subject to change Bikeway plan for Indianapolis. Click on the map for a detailed PDF and visit Sustain Indy’s website for complete details on the Bikeways phases.

Pine Loop is a beginner trail which was built as part of the Brown County State Park RTP grant project. The trail climbs through a fern filled valley, up into a pine forest, before connecting to the existing Parking Lot Connector trail. The result is a beautiful 2 mile beginner loop that provides riders the opportunity to experience the back country feel of the mountain bike trail system in a short beginner friendly trail.

The Brown County State Park RTP Grant is nearing completion. With Limekiln Trail and Walnut Trail already opened, and Schooner Trace nearing completion, The RTP grant project is solidifying Brown County State Park as a regional destination for mountain bikers. The RTP grant project is being managed by the Hoosier Mountain Bike Association (HMBA). HMBA is matching the $150,000 RTP grant with $27,500 worth of volunteer labor and $10,000 from a Bikes Belong Grant.

Brown County State Park Mountain Bike Trail Info
www.browncountymountainbiking.com
Brown County pictures
Pine Loop Pictures

Let me get right to the point – Bicycle Indiana (formerly Indiana Bicycle Coalition) needs your immediate financial support. I encourage each of you to become a household member at a cost of $25. But wait, that’s not all! BGI is offering a $10 Gift card with each new membership between now and Friday, June 19th. In addition, $21 of this cost is tax deductible. If your incremental tax rate is 25%, that’s a total $15 discount on a membership – a pretty good deal I’d say. Become a member now.

Visit http://www.bicycleindiana.org/membership.html

Bicycle Indiana is the legislative voice for bicyclists in all of Indiana. It is also the central resource for education and programs for advocates all across the State including individual cyclists, advocate organizations, teams, clubs and many state, county and municipal agencies. Look for more details soon about the first ever Indiana Bicycle Summit to be held at the Indiana Government Center on Saturday, October 17, 2009.

Please help now by going to the Bicycle Indiana website to join!

Randy Clark, Board of Directors, Bicycle Indiana

Bootleg Sessions v.3 has dropped from Ride/Relax Productions on Vimeo.

Well everyone, just saw today over at the Bootleg Sessions blog that v3 is shipping today. Congrats on another release, Burd. I’m looking forward to seeing the footage.